29 January 2021

News

InformationNOW
Unpaid carers and the vaccine
This girl can
Increased borrowing during Covid 19
Time to talk day
LGBT History month

Research & Reports

NAO report on housing rough sleepers
Opportunities for Action
EU Settlement scheme – don’t delay your application
Newcastle Gateshead CCG public engagement events
Coronavirus update
Experts by Experience for the NHS

Resources

British Science Week

New on InformationNOW this week

This week’s events & activities at a glance
What to do this weekend
Skills for People keep connected programme
East End Women workshops

Updated articles
Payment Methods
Ten tips for Good Health

InformationNOW

This week, we are delighted to launch our redesign of InformationNOW.  We have made changes based on feedback about how you want to navigate around our website.  Key features include:

• Popular articles list on the homepage and information tab based on Google statistics
• Quick links down an Information page to get to a heading that you are looking for
• Quick links to the Organisations list and Related Articles, for instance we have 15 benefits articles
• On an organisation listing you can now see at a glance which activities they are running with a maximum of 9
• We have added a postcode search on events
• Podcasts have moved to our News Tab
•  Organisations can now include their You Tube channel in their profile
• You can still leave a comment about a page, save to favourites, print and share although the icons have changed.

We hope you like the new look and that you will explore the site.

We have a few minor teething issues on the mobile layout that are being addressed.

Unpaid carers and the vaccine

New advice has been included about unpaid carers  who are the main carer of  an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if the carer contracted COVID. Whilst recognising that a high proportion of unpaid carers are aged 50+ and already fall within one of the nine priority cohort groups and particularly Group 6, Carers UK are encouraging carers to register the fact that they have caring responsibilities with their GP to ensure that they are included in vaccination plans.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination Immunisation statement says “Those who are in receipt of a carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if the carer falls ill.”

Not sure if you are a carer? read our information.

This Girl Can, March 8th

The organisers want to celebrate our amazing North East women and girls and encourage you to gather your troops and allies to take part in this virtual event.

This is a free all-day event open to everyone; you can celebrate by doing any activity of your choosing at any time on the day – walk, hop, skip, shuffle, jog, run, cycle or anything else you can think of. They will have a range of exciting virtual sessions happening throughout the day too.  For more information and register.

Time to Talk Day 2021, 4 February 2021

The theme this year is the Power of Small.  A small conversation about mental health has the power to make a big difference. The important message is that we can be kind to one another, listen to one another and calm situations where someone is anxious or upset.  Without that listening space, people may spiral into a more serious condition. Remember to look out for other causes of mental unhappiness – such as debt, pressure at work, a breakdown in relationships and more recently, the impact of Covid 19.For those people who have been diagnosed with a mental health problem or crisis, we need to remove the stigma and enable them to talk about how they feel.  Organisations that can help locally and nationally are listed in this news item from October 2018

The Time to Talk Day Virtual Festival is taking place between 3 – 4 February. with a day of online activities that anyone can join from home, creating a space where supporters can come together and feel the power of being part of something much bigger.  As an organisation, you can register your event.  If you want to take part, it is free and a few events are for anyone across the country, such as hip hop on You Tube.

Mind Activity packs are available as part of Time to Talk day.  They are for children and schools, communities, hubs, employers and sports groups.  Mind are encouraging us to check in on someone during coronavirus and help keep us all connected.

Read our mental health article.

LGBT  History month

LGBT History month is an informative and celebratory month which aims to educate out prejudice and make LGBT+  people visible in all their diversity.  The theme this year is Mind, Body and Spirit. Throughout the month, they will be shining a light on some key pieces of LGBT history and literature and this year they are encouraging you to write in a creative writing competition, deadline 15 February.

Support in Newcastle: MESMAC, Blue Sky Trust and SHINE.

Listen to our sexual health podcast.

National Audit Offfice report on housing rough sleepers during the pandemic

The National Audit Office (NAO) has published a report looking at the housing of rough sleepers during the Covid 19 pandemic. They report that through its ‘Everyone In’ campaign, the  Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government swiftly provided emergency housing for rough sleepers during the first wave of the COVID 19 pandemic. However, the response raised issues that need to be addressed if Government is to achieve its goal of ending rough sleeping by the end of this Parliament.

EU Settlement Scheme Applications – does your organisation work with anyone from the EU?

Following Brexit, EU / EEA and Swiss nationals wanting to stay in the UK need to apply to the European Union Settlement Scheme by 30 June 2021. People who need help to apply can get free assistance from a number of local organisations on our EU Settlement scheme article.  Your Homes Newcastle’s EU Settlement Scheme Support Service is open to any resident of Newcastle and not just tenants. The team can provide free support to ensure people complete the EUSS application process for themselves and their children by the deadline and offer advice about what to do after being awarded Settled or Pre-settled Status.  Email the team.

Newcastle Gateshead CCG public engagement events

Workforce competency development strategy

Enhanced Care for Older People – February 9th 2021
9.30 to 10 am (welcome to all) Session will commence 10am to12.30pm

Over the past 4 years, Northumbria university and NG CCG have worked in partnership to develop a workforce competency development strategy.  This strategy provides an overview of the skills, knowledge and qualification that health and social care staff need.They now need to check the impact of this workforce competency development strategy.  One of the first steps is to talk with older people to jointly develop what needs to be included in the evaluation.   They have a list of possible outcomes that they would like to discuss with older people including what should be prioritised.

Evaluating Frailty Pathways of Care
Frailty Pathways of Care, 10th February 2021
1 to1.30 pm (welcome) Session will start at 1.30pm to 4pm
If you access a GP surgery as an older person you will be assessed for frailty.  There are different ways of doing this across the country. They would like to test out which frailty pathway is best.  To do this they need to develop a standard method to test these across the country.  The first step is to agree which outcomes are important and need to be evaluated.  They would like to work with older people across Gateshead and Newcastle to look at this area of work.  A presentation will be delivered at the beginning followed by outbreak sessions where you will have the opportunity to comment.

Contact Hannah for either of the teams meeting links.

Coronavirus update

The NHS has teamed up with law enforcement and security agencies to warn the public not to fall victim to con artists trying to exploit the coronavirus vaccine campaign.  Please be aware and pass the message on that the vaccine is free and you will be invited in turn by a GP.

England’s top GP has joined the head of Action Fraud, the National Crime Agency (NCA) and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) in issuing joint advice reminding people that the vaccine is only available for free on the NHS, and health service staff will never ask for payment to get it.

The warning comes amid a number of reports of criminals attempting, and in some cases succeeding, to steal cash or personal details from people keen to get the vaccine.  In one extreme case, a man in London knocked on the door of a 92-year-old woman and administered her with a fake vaccine before taking a £160 payment which he told her would be reimbursed by the NHS.

In other cases, people are reporting suspicious text messages with a link to a booking site which mimics an NHS page, but asks for personal details including bank account numbers.

Read our information on fraud and scams during the coronavirus.

Experts by experience needed to help the NHS

The NHS-led Provider Collaboratives team is looking for experts by experience to share their views on new approaches to commissioning care for:

• people with complex emotional needs and/or a history of trauma
• women and their families accessing perinatal mental health services.

Successful applicants will play a vital role in keeping people who use these services at the centre of their focus and defining the approach to commissioning care. Deadline 11 February 2021.

What’s New

What to do this weekend

Why not take part in the RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch this weekend. You can make a note of all the birds in your garden or on a walk in the park for one hour. There is a handy guide so you can easily identify a bird.

You can also join RSPB on Facebook Live tonight at 7pm. Submit your information by 19 February 2021.

You could also order your seeds and dig your soil – see our gardening information.

Skills for People keep connected programme

Skills for People keep connected programme has a series of activities that you can take part in. From online Geordie Voices to online health and wellbeing sessions.  It is all part of a keeping well for winter campaign and there is lots more to choose from.

Information on learning disability and autism.

East End Women online

East Women are running a series of workshops on resilience and confidence building in February.

Last updated: April 9, 2021

Subscribe to the InfoNOW newsletter